NCAA Football Update - 3/15/2009

• Oregon head coach, well former head coach, has resigned. Mike Bellotti had been the Ducks head coach for the last 14 seasons and compiled a 116-55 record with Oregon. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has been promoted to head coach. Though Kelly was deemed "coach-in-waiting" in December, it had been widely believed that Bellotti would coach the 2009 season and then step down. His doing so on Friday was a bit of a shock to say the least. Bellotti will now be Oregon's athletic director, starting July 1st. [ESPN]
  
• Chris Low believes soon-to-be sophomore Jordan Jefferson is opening up a wide margin in the QB competition at LSU. Jefferson, who started the final two Tigers games last season, is fighting for the job with incoming freshman Russell Shepard. [Chris Low]
• Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst has gone on record to say he wasn't completely comfortable naming Allan Evridge the starting QB prior to the start of last season. He felt anxious but knew a starter must be named. The Badgers struggled in October and Evridge was eventually replaced by Dustin Sherer, now a senior, who went 4-1 as a starter. Sherer is competing this spring with junior Scott Tolzien, redshirt freshman Curt Phillips, and true freshman Jon Budmayr. Fans seem to be clamoring for Phillips to win the job, who they see as stabilizing the QB spot for at least the next three seasons. [Adam Rittenberg]
• Pundits are down on Oklahoma already, mostly because of their losses along the offensive line and at WR. Gone are Manuel Johnson, Juaquin Iglesias, and Quentin Chaney, who combined for 145 catches for 2,368 yards and 21 TDs last season. Expected to start in 2009 are soon-to-be sophomore Ryan Broyles and soon-to-be senior Adron Tennell. Fighting for the other spots will be soon-to-be sophomores Jameel Owens and Dejuan Miller. However, the Sooners do return Hesiman winner Sam Bradford at QB and two 1,000 yard rushers in Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray. Plus, TE Jermaine Gresham is back as well. I think the Oklahoma offense will be OK. [Tim Griffin]
• For the second straight year, Texas QB Colt McCoy will spend his spring break in Peru on a missions trip. Good for him. [Tim Griffin]
• Speaking of good deeds, a group of North Carolina State football players spent their spring break in Mississippi helping the clean up and rebuild effort from the damages caused by Hurricane Katrina over 3.5 years ago. [Heather Dinich]
• Dirk Facer tries to answer the QB conundrum facing Utah after starter Brian Johnson graduated. The Utes opened spring practice on Tuesday. Junior Corbin Louks, Johnson's back up last season, appears to be the front runner. Also competing are JUCO transfer Terrance Cain, redshirt freshman Devonte Christopher, and true freshman Jordan Wynn. [Deseret News]
• According to Robbi Pickeral, former North Carolina QB Cameron Sexton will transfer to Division II Catawba for his final year of eligibility. Sexton started six games in 2008 for injured starter T.J. Yates. The Tar Heels were 4-2 in games that Sexton started. [The News & Observer]
• The bowls associated with the Bowl Championship Series have signed a new contract keeping them associated with the BCS through the 2013 season. The Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange bowls will stay part of the BCS and host the national championship game through the 2013 season. So folks, a college football tournament isn't in the cards until 2014, at the earliest. Yeah, I'm disappointed too. [College Football Talk]
• Who will be the new Wildcats QB? How about two guys? Matt Scott and Nick Foles are each having a strong spring and the Arizona coaching staff may choose to utilize each player during games, at least to start the season. Of course, it is only March. A lot can change before the last weekend in August (which can't come soon enough). [Tucson Citizen]
• Jacory Harris is the starting QB for Miami (FL) in 2009. But who is his back up? Taylor Cook and Cannon Smith are competing for the spot but neither has been very impressive. Both are having trouble holding onto the ball. In other Miami QB news, former starting QB for the Hurricanes Robert Marve has not decided where he will continue his collegiate career. Recently some teams have bowed out of the sweepstakes for the former prep all star, including Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Marve was seen at a recent South Florida practice and Bulls QB Matt Grothe is a senior this season, allowing Marve to start in 2010. [Miami Herald, College Football Talk, and USF Nation]
• Former Hurricanes verbal commit RB Bryce Brown is set to announce his decision on Monday. The #1 recruit for 2009 was spurned by Miami after not signing his letter of intent. Brown is down to four schools: LSU, Tennessee, Kansas State, and Oregon. LSU is believed to be the front runner but brown was seen recently in Tennessee for yet another unofficial visit. [Potential Players]
• Michigan has received a verbal commitment from yet another dual-threat QB, this time it's Inkster QB Devin Gardner. Gardner will enroll in 2010 and compete with Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson for the starting QB job. Looks like Rich Rodriguez is assembling a nice stable of QB's for his spread system. How soon will it be before one of them transfers? I guess it'd be easier for Gardner to switch since he isn't signed. [The Detroit News]
• Who will replace Chase Daniels at Missouri? Right now it looks to be Blaine Gabbert. Jimmy Costello is currently running the second team. Soon-to-be freshman Blaine Dalton and Ashton Glaser are splitting reps with the third team. [Columbia Daily Tribune]